Hello everyone! It's that wonderful time of the year again! Hanukkah, Kwanza and Christmas! To celebrate the holidays, I bring you another Wintery fic. A PentNiss fic! Yes, it's time for some Holiday Romance!
I was going to do as a multi-chapter fic of multi-ships kissing under the mistletoe, but I'm not sure if I'll be inspired enough to do so.
Hope you all enjoy!
Under the Mistletoe
Holidays was a magical time no matter where. Even in Hell, there was no escaping it! Not during the wintery holiday seasons was anyone exempt! Krampusnatch, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, all celebrated throughout the Rings of Hell. More so Krampusnatch than Christmas, but that's another story on it's own. But as expected for the holiday, when many rejoiced in the celebrations, many did not. Some just had mixed feelings.
And that was true for on certian spider. In the large manor, owned by a very eccentric snake, with an army of living eggs, also living there was the Rango's family's best sniper and second in command, Arackniss. The small ebony spider had moved in with the owner of the home, Sir Pentious, after much coaxing on the serpent's part. Moving out of his father's roof had been a very dramatic change for him. It was actually a stark contrast compared to the constant abuse he had to face back with Henroin.
He was currently watching the many holiday specials that were playing on the TV. Basically all of them those cheesy rom-coms that he didn't particularlly care for. Yet the more he watched, the more he couldn't help but also long for it as well. For his entire life and afterlife, he had been at the beck and call of the Mafia. Especially under his father's thumb. His social life only resulted around his job. Now that he had a roommate, or well roommates with all the Eggs around, it was becoming a more prominent view on how he had lived his life, and how lonely he actually felt.
There was also the strange feelings that he was getting. The nervousness and fear of this strange outcome he was developing.
Sir Pentious was very kind and caring about him. The way he was always asking about his day. Helping him take care of his injuries. The hugs and small gestures of affections that he would receive. He was even given gifts by the snake! It was all so strange!
It was made worst by the movies he was watching.
It was then he had an epiphany.
He had a crush on Sir Pentious. He was in love with Sir Pentious. A man.
Just like his brother. Everything that his father had swore and beaten to prevent him from becoming. And here it was. Now living with a man. Living with his crush. It was basically a death sentence if his pops ever found out. He'd beat him and disown him just like he did with his brother.
But he could stop this! He knew he could! He wasn't gay! All he had to due was just prove that he wasn't!
"I'll just hang around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed."
Arackniss looked back at the movie. Mistletoe? Kiss? That's it! All he has to do hang mistletoe up! Surely once he gets a kiss, and he's feels nothing, then that has to prove that he doesn't have feelings for a man! Time to get to the store and get to work!
With all the Egg Bois and Sir Pentious busy with their newest project, it gave him enough time to hang up every single mistletoe on the doorframes. There was no way that the cobra could miss these! Not when they were all over the house! He just had to make sure that he was standing under it whichever room the snake was in. This was fullproof! He knew it! Once the last one was hunged up, he stepped back to admire his work.
"There. There is no way, that he can't kiss me now! Once he does, this feelings will be null void, and I won't have to worry about being attracted to Pent. Totally platonic as it should be!"
Feeling confident, he went to walk off to find the older demon, who was conviently coming towards him. Speak of the devil! He quickly stepped back to where he was in the doorframe, leaning against as nonchantly as he could.
"Hey! Uh, Pen! What's are you doing here?" Fuck! Stupid! He's always here! This was his home! Back track! Back track! "What, what I mean is, you're always here. You live here. I meant uh... why are you here, in this particular space?"
The snake chuckled at him.
"Oh, I was just taking a small break from my project. There is so much work to be done. Materials to be gathered, tools needing to be replaced, Egg Bois to keep in line, so much work."
The small spider nodded. He wasn't entirely sure on what this project was. All this science experiments that he did wasn't quite his forte. Though he did do his best to show some interest. That's what a good friend did, right?
"That's... good to hear. Is it... come along as you expect?"
"Oh it is! But like I said, I need to gather more materials. I'll probably be gone most of the day tomorrow. Are you working tomorrow?"
"Uh, just some paperwork that I gotta fill out. Nothing I can't do from here. So uh... I can watch the place."
"I appreciate it. Oh!" He paused, taking notice of the mistletoe. "I'm seeing that you already brought out the Holiday decorations! I'll leave some of the Egg Bois to help you decorate! You didn't have to go out and buy decorations."
Arackniss blinked. Did... did he not know what the mistletoe was for? The tradition behind the decoration? He did his best to cover the small disappointment that he was feeling.
"O-Oh, I uh... didn't realize. Um... so where do you keep your decorations?"
"In the attic. Appropriately marked as Holiday Decorations."
He forced a smile.
"Fantastic. I'll... get started on after I finish my paperwork."
The Victorian grinned and pulled him into a side hug.
"Sounds wonderful! I look forward to what you have achieved while I'm away! I'll be sure to do my part as well in between my project!"
The spider did a double finger gun at him.
"N-Not a problem. You can... totally count on me."
"Fantastic! I'll even make dinner as a thank you! I'll see you at dinner Arackniss!"
Once the snake had left them alone, Arackniss went and placed his head against the door frame. What was it going to take for Pentious to kiss him!? Well, this was only the beginning. He had up till Christmas to get him to kiss him. And dammit, he was going to get that kiss!
With his paperwork and the decorations were hanged up, the spider went back to trying to get the snake to kiss him. He was even desperate enough to go back to the store to find a headband with a bit of mistletoe hanging off of it. He was currently looking through the Christmas accessories. Sweaters with mistletoes, gloves, boots, nothing that he was really looking for. Unable to find what he needed, he decided to ask an associate. He managed to find an imp girl dressed head to toe in Christmas gear.
"Um... hi. Can you... help me? I'm tryna find a headband with some mistletoe hanging off of it. It's uh... for a party."
The girl blinked then smiled.
"Oh not a problem! Just follow me."
He glanced around nervously, in hopes that no one from the Family or anyone else associated with them would see him. He didn't want to answer any questions that could reveal that he was having romantic feelings for someone. He could already imagine all the speculations and suspicion that he would receive.
"Any specific reason you're looking for a mistletoe headband?" She asked.
"Uh... no reason."
She looked at him, then gave a knowing smile.
"You're hoping a special someone will try and kiss you, ain't ya?"
He felt a blush form on his face.
"Am I really that obvious?"
"Not really, no." She giggled. "But any time someone asks for them, it's normally because they want someone to notice them."
Fuck. So much for being inconspicuous. She handed him a red headband with said decoration. Then lead him over to be checked out. Once she handed him the bag, she gave him a double thumbs up.
"Here you go. And good luck with getting your special one's attention! I'm totally rooting for you!"
"Th-thanks."
Once he left the store, he gave a small groan. He hoped this plan worked.
Weeks. It has been weeks. And nothing he has done has gotten to get Pent to kiss him! What was he going to do!? He needed to know if this was just some weird chemical imbalance that he was feeling! Pentious had been so wrapped up in his project that he's barely noticed him! Christmas was in three days. He had to settle this. Now!
Dressed in a warm yet festive sweater, along with his mistletoe headband, he made his way down to the snake's workshop. He paused a bit. Was it too intrusive? Especially when he was doing this, all because of a stupid kiss? Maybe. But he had to know. He had to see if his feelings were real. So taking a breath, he knocked on the door.
"Uh... Pent? It's me, Arackniss. Can I come in?"
He took a step back when the door opened to reveal one of the Egg Bois. Number 25.
"Mr. Bossman is busy."
"I..." He swallowed. "I know. But uh... I have some... questions that I need to ask him. Is he... in a position that I can talk?"
"You got mistletoe on your head."
No duh, egghead. Arackniss did his best to not make the quip outloud. He couldn't afford having them burst into tears or whatever it is that they do when someone upsets them.
"Uh... Yea. So can I talk to him?"
The egg stepped aside, allowing him in. Once he was inside, he took notice that the demon he was looking for was hunched over his work desk, scribbling on some notes. He took a breath to calm himself down. He can do this. He can totally do this. He was Arackniss Ragno! The Ragno's family best sniper! He can absolute handle getting a kiss! ...maybe. Eager to get this over, he made his way over to the distracted serpent.
"Hey-!" The small spider greeted, trying to play it cool. "There Pent. Um... how's... your project going?"
Pentious blinked at his unexpected vistor.
"Oh! Arackniss! Hello! I'm sorry I didn't hear you come in. I'm currently just retweeking a few minor issues for my latest development."
The spider gave a small nod, he did his best to make it obvious with the mistletoe handband on his head.
"Cool. Um, so... I was a little curious on your... holiday traditions."
He tilted his head at him.
"My traditions? Oh well, um. I guess the standard mostly. The tree, a few decorations, a meal, most of it is for the Egg Bois really."
Arackniss nodded. Reasonable and standard. He and his father were basically the same when they were living with each other. The standard, but they didn't make a big deal out of it. Not like the twins did and their Nonna did. He swallowed, then pat the table.
"You uh... don't mind if I sit myself up here, do you? For us to be on the... same level?"
The serpentine sinner shook his head, going back to his scribbling.
"Not at all! Just be mindful of my tools."
With permission, the spider climbed onto the table, putting his top hands together. How was he going to word this without being suspicious. Maybe he could blame the mistletoe on his brother or possibly on his sister? It's not like neither one of them would ask.
"Um... so. What are your thoughts on... mistletoe?"
The cobra didn't bother turning to face him, mostly focusing on his invention.
"Oh the history of it is very fascinating! But it's not really something that I'm very engaged in to be honest. The idea of randomly kissing someone in Hell, can have very negative reactions. Or lead to very unwanted affections."
Oh... did... did that mean that all the mistletoe that he placed in the manor was not allowed? He hadn't mentioned anything until now. Maybe he should've asked before doing this insane stunt. Maybe this was a bad idea. But he had to know! He had to figure out if this kiss would explain his feelings!
"I... totally understand that. But uh... what if someone... wanted you to... kiss them."
This caught the snake's attention and he turned to look at him. Then chuckled.
"I do know plenty that some would love to do so. But I don't want to indulge them." He glanced over at the cluster of Egg Bois, then back to the smaller demon in front of him. "Though like I said the history behind it is a very interesting. Did you know that the mistletoe was first used by the ancient Greeks for medical purposes? Such as helping a woman during her mentral cycles, to spleen disorders, and to even-"
The spider zoned out. Not really all that interested in the topic. Instead, he was more drawn to Pentious' mouth. More specifically, his lips. Unable to take it anymore, he grabbed the older demon's shirt and pulled him into a kiss. As he did, he felt the emotions intensify. The burning in his stomach becoming hotter. A wave of strange magic compulating around him. The pulsing of fireworks that erupted in his mind once their lips touched.
As he pulled away, the sensation of longing felt even stronger. He then sense a rush of fear pulse through him. No. Oh no, no, no, no! The feelings didn't go away! The should've went away! Why didn't they go away!? He felt his chest tightened. It was suddenly harder for him to breathe. Why was it so hard to breathe now!? What did this mean? Did this mean that he was into men? He couldn't be! He couldn't be attracted to men! He wasn't his brother! He could only imagine what Pentious thought of- Fuck! Pentious! He fucking kissed him! On the mouth! His first kissed and it was with a man! Someone of the same gender! Did this mean that he really was gay!? How could he do this!? How could he allow himself to be attracted to a fellow person of the same gender!?
He was going to get kicked out wasn't he? He kissed him and now he was going to be tossed onto the streets! Where was he going to go? He couldn't go back to living with his dad! He'd kill him if he found out he attracted to men! What was he going to do!?
He jumped when he felt something touching his face. He looked to see that Sir Pentious was looking at him with concern. Why was he concerned? Shouldn't he be angry at him? Yelling and screaming at him to get the fuck out of his house?
"Arackniss. It's alright. It's okay. Calm down. It's alright. Breathe. Breathe."
Why wasn't he angry at him? He should be angry at him?
"Wh-why...? You should... you should be-?" He shook his head, unable to get out the words that he needed to say.
Pentious frowned softly.
"Arackniss. What is this about? Is this why all the mistletoe is being hung up?"
Unable to speak, the sniper nodded his head. He was too afraid to speak at this moment. Worried about the possible outcome that would if he did.
"Oh Niss... I have no idea you felt this away about me. I mean... I have fancied you for some time, but I... well this is so unexpected! You always told me you were straight!"
"I am!" The spider felt himself practically wailed. "I kept having these weird feelings for you, and I didn't know what they meant! So I thought that if I kissed you, then they would go away! But they didn't! They only gotten stronger! But I can't be into men! I'm not gay! I can't be gay! If my pops finds out that I kissed another man, let alone-!"
He was cut off by the cobra being the own into pulling him for a kiss. He blinked in surprise, but slowly started to relax and kiss back, ignoring the inner voice screaming at him at how wrong this was. Was it wrong if he wanted to do something that he wasn't suppose to do? To indulge and rebel from his father's rules? To get some sense of happiness? He blinked when the serpent pulled away.
"I know you have some deep rooted homophobia due to your father. And I promise, we can take this as slow as you want. What you're feel is perfectly natural. We'll go at your pace. Whatever you do, I'll accept your answer whether you wish to pursue this or not. Your comfort is all that matters to me."
Arackniss felt a lump in his throat. He wasn't going to kick him out. If anything, he was willing to give him a chance to explore his feelings. How did he end up living with someone who was so considerate and thoughtful? He gave a small laugh, ignoring the burning of tears that were starting to build up. He wrapped his arms around his roommate's neck, pulling him into another kiss, the mistletoe that was on his head, bouncing just between them.
"I'd like that." He responded after pulling away. "Very much."
Pentious chuckled, pulling him closer.
"Then it looks like I already got my present for this Christmas."
"What would that be?"
"You."
Arackniss gave a small chuckle. How incredibly cheesey, but romantic. At least to him.
"Then I guess I can say the same."
"Merry Christmas, Nissy."
"Merry Christmas, Pen."
There we are everyone! My version of how Niss and Pent hooked up! With some good ole Winter Romance in the mixed!
If I get inspired to do more mistletoe-inspired fics, I'll be sure to turn this into a multi-chapter. But for right now, this is a oneshot.
Thank you all for reading and Happy Holidays!
